The present disclosure relates generally to a needle stand for a biopsy needle and more particularly to a needle stand that is easily and quickly adjustable to account for the three degrees of freedom for the entry of the biopsy needle in the patient.
Tissue sampling in which soft tissue biopsy needles are used may require situations in which the clinician needs to release the needle after inserting it at least part of the way to targeted tissue, leaving it cantilevered in the patient. For example, there may be a need to use fluoroscopy or other imaging to confirm proper needle placement, or to move the patient to a different treatment or imaging room. As another example, the clinician may need to rest or reorient himself or herself to appropriately support the needle.
Often a needle stand is used to support a partially- or fully-inserted biopsy needle cantilevered in the patient. Typically, a needle stand can also be used to guide and stabilize the needle at a chosen angle and location while the needle is inserted through the skin of a patient. The support and maintenance of position provided by a needle stand frees the clinician to perform other tasks that may also be required during the medical procedure.
One type of needle stand currently used includes a clip for holding a needle and a guide arrangement for supporting the clip and directing the needle at a desired angle relative to the patient's body. The clip is attached to a rail portion of the guide arrangement, and the position of the clip is adjustable laterally along the rail portion as the clinician may need for the particular patient. The clip includes a releasable connection such that the needle can be disengaged from the guide arrangement by a lateral movement of the clip and/or guide arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis of the needle. Moreover, the needle handle is not directly supported by the clip. Instead, a portion of the thin needle structure is supported by the clip and rail portion. As can be appreciated, the thin needle is a relatively weak portion, that can be broken or otherwise damaged while retained in the clip. Differently-sized clips are required for each stand, so as to match the gauge of the needle sleeve and needle cannula that are used, because the needle cannula may jiggle or shake in the clip if the clip does not hold the needle cannula firmly. The needle stand also typically includes a base for support itself when placed on a body surface. The guide arrangement is hingedly connected to the base to allow for adjustment of the desired angle of the needle. Therefore, adjustment of the orientation of the needle requires adjusting the clip laterally on the rail portion and adjusting the guide arrangement about the hinge on the base. Adjusting all of these components is complicated, requires moving many parts to accomplish the change, and is time consuming for the clinician.
In lieu of a needle stand, a medical practitioner may simply hold the needle in place while image guidance or fluoroscopy is used to locate the biopsy needle within the patient. As such, there is a risk that the medical practitioner will be exposed to X-rays or other radiation during the image guidance. Alternatively, the medical practitioner may tape the biopsy needle against the skin of the patient. However, tape can be ineffective when used on a biopsy needle in maintaining the desired position and depth of the needle.
Thus, there is a need for improvement in this field.